In the news: Six cases of Zika are confirmed in Britain

There have now been six confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Britain, all linked to the outbreak in South America. Public Health England have said that four of these cases had been seen since the start of 2016 in travellers returning from the region.

Dr Dilys Morgan, head of emerging infections at Public Health England, told MPs that the cases were "travel associated" and not thought to have been contracted in Britain. She also said that officials "expected to see more cases" of travel associated infections. She also said that she is tracking cases of Zika reported in the UK and offering advice to people who think they may have been affected. She added:

"There is no risk to the UK population, this is just a risk to travellers. Of those travellers, your risk of acquiring Zika depends on where you are travelling - and you are likely to get a very mild illness, if you notice anything at all. But if you are pregnant, you may be at risk of an abnormal foetus, which is obviously devastating. We have been working with the medical profession so that when women want to discuss it with their healthcare providers, [experts] are in a better position of how to advise them."

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The authorities have assured members of the public that there is no danger of the virus being passed on to them, as the type of mosquito that carries the virus is not found in Britain. Public Health England have said in a statement:

"The Aedes aegypti mosquito is not present in the UK and is unlikely to establish in the near future as the UK temperature is not consistently high enough for it to breed."

The UK government also announced last Thursday that aircraft flying into the UK from countries hit by the Zika virus would be sprayed with insecticides to stop the virus spreading. To combat mosquitos that might have entered aircraft travelling to Europe in the cabins, insecticide will be sprayed to kill them off. Public Health England have issued new information on mosquito bite avoidance for travellers here.

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